Nick Richards Focusing on Five Schools, In No Rush to Decide

NEW YORK — Playing in front of some 50 credentialed NBA personnel, Nick Richards has been impressive during the first two days of Under Armour Elite 24 practices.

“[Thursday] was better, I could’ve done better [Friday] but now I just gotta get ready for the main game,” the 6-foot-11 Richards out of St. Patrick’s High School told SNY.tv of Saturday’s nationally televised contest (ESPNU, 7:30).

Richards competed on the Nike EYBL circuit with Expressions Elite but wanted to play in the Under Armour game for something new.

“I wanted to represent my hometown New York,” Richards said. “I just wanted to play in a different event, a different environment.”

Kevin Knox to Cut List Again, Uncertain on Package With Carter and Trent

NEW YORK — Having already cut his list to 10 schools, Kevin Knox plans to trim his list again sometime in the near future.

“I’m focused on five or six that I really want to focus on, I’m going to narrow down to five or six probably next month,” the 6-foot-8 Class of 2017 small forward from Tampa (FL) Catholic and E1T1 told SNY.tv Friday at Elite 24 practice.

Knox didn’t participate in the first two days of practice because of a knee ailment but said he hopes to play in Saturday’s nationally televised game (ESPNU, 7:30).

Elite 24: Trevon Duval, Nick Richards, Jahvon Quinerly Impress in Front of NBA Personnel

NEW YORK — With some 50 NBA personnel credentialed for the Under Armour Elite 24, Class of 2017 stars Trevon Duval, Nick Richards and Jahvon Quinerly were among those who stood out during Thursday’s practice at the Gauchos Gym in The Bronx.

The 6-foot-3 Duval from the WE-R1 AAU program is the face of the Under Armour Association and arguably the biggest name in the game. He has yet to pick a high school for the upcoming school year, and is considering Maryland, UCLA, Villanova, Kansas, Oregon, Arizona and Cal, among others.

“Yeah, he can really play,” former Kentucky and NBA star Jamal Mashburn, who will coach the Clutch (White) team in Saturday’s game against Duval’s Drive (Dark) team, told SNY.tv. “I think he’s an excellent player. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out, and I told him I didn’t even watch him shoot the ball.”

Recruiting Roundup: Darius Perry to Louisville; Kevin Samuel to TCU; Ira Lee, Aamir Simms, Darius McNeil Cut Lists

Darius Perry, a 6-foot-2 point guard from Marietta (GA) Wheeler, pledged to Louisville over home-state Georgia, becoming Rick Pitino’s second commit in the Class of 2017.

Louisville also recently landed 7-foot Indiana big man Malik Williams.

“I went down to Louisville and I got to watch them practice and see how Pitino works and see that kind of environment,” Perry, ranked the No. 14 point guard by 247Sports.com, told Scout.com of his Aug. 3 visit. “I got a good feel for the people I’m going to be around, the town I’m going to be in and how the team is going to be.”